How to Send Messages Beyond WhatsApp's 24-Hour Window

WhatsApp doesn't let you send free-form messages to customers after 24 hours of their last reply. You're stuck using templates asking them to respond or waiting for them to message you first.

On other platforms, that's where the conversation dies.

Spur's Solution: Text-as-Image Messages

We've bypassed the limit. When the 24-hour window closes, Spur automatically converts your message into an image and sends it as a utility template. To the customer, it looks and feels like a normal message, just within an image with a white background.

You can keep the conversation going without waiting or paying for marketing templates.

Open any chat where the 24-hour window is closed (meaning it's been more than 24 hours since the customer last messaged you).
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Start typing your message like normal.
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You'll see this at the bottom:
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''✨ Message will be delivered via Spur (starting new conversation)''
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That's Spur telling you: "Hey, the window's closed, but we got you. Your message will go through as an image."
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Hit send. Your text gets converted into an image and delivered instantly via a utility template.

The customer receives it as a notification, just like any other WhatsApp message.
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You can keep sending more messages this way. Each one goes as an image until the customer replies.
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Once they reply, the 24-hour window reopens and you're back to normal messaging.

Your message shows up as a WhatsApp notification with your text rendered clearly inside an image.

They can tap to view it, and if they respond, you're back in the regular chat flow.

We're not kidding when we say ALL WhatsApp tools just lock you out after 24 hours, you won't find another tool that can do this. Spur though? It lets you keep talking. You're on the right side of history for this one, trust me.

You're not paying for marketing templates every time you need to follow up, you will pay for a utlity template though but that's 8 times less expensive than marketing templates in India, so that's still marginal compared to the alternative.

Customers don't know the window was closed. They just see you being responsive.

The text-to-image conversion works best for messages up to 500 characters. Keep it concise for best readability. It will just send an infinitely longer image with all the text if you go over 500 characters. But we recommend you keep it under that.

If the feature isn't showing up, make sure:

Ping support if you need help.

Bottom Line

You can now message customers anytime, regardless of the 24-hour window. It's frictionless, cheap, and only available on Spur.